Kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Monday directed Narayana Memorial Hospital in Taratala to pay a compensation of Rs 35 lakh to the family members of two patients who died allegedly due to hospital negligence in two separate cases.
A 53-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with epigastric pain and had been vomiting for two days. After admission, the patient was given semi-solid diets.
According to WBCERC chairperson Justice (retired) Ashim Banerjee, the patient urgently required a surgical intervention but the hospital did not assign any surgeon.
The patient was admitted under a medicine doctor. Even the patient’s family was not happy with the doctor assigned for his treatment, and they sought a surgeon.
The hospital allegedly refused to engage a surgeon to treat the patient.
“Four days after admission, the surgery was eventually carried out. An exploratory laparotomy was performed on the patient. The patient eventually died.
The patient’s life could have been saved if the surgery had been carried out earlier. We have asked to pay Rs 25 lakh,” said Banerjee.
In a different case, the same hospital was also instructed to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to another family whose patient had died due to alleged negligence of the hospital.
The patient was referred to a doctor in the hospital who was claimed to be a gastroenterologist and he had carried out ERCP on the patient. He was later found to be an MBBS doctor.